Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-24
HOLIDAYS IN JAPAN.
How the JOvial Jap Makes Life
Merry and Happy.

Merry and Happy.
Mrs. ii. II. Thompson, writing in
The Cosmopolitan of the holidays of
the japanese, says New Years day is
not altogether holiday. The M =
tional idea of justice is shown by the
law requiring all debts to be adjusted
at the beginning of the year. There
fore, no one gives himself up to unre-
strained enjoyment of this day until
his accounts are satisfactorily ar
ranged.
On this day. for which we had been
impatently waiting, we prepared to go
everywhere and see everything. Fei =
tive preparations had been going on
for many days, such rs thoroughly
renovating and cleaning houses, plant
ing evergreen and bamboo branches
along the street and on either side of
the vestibules or doorways. The bak-
cries were teeming with delicacies.
Professional rice-pounders, with their
immense mortars and pestles, were
hurrying from house to house. Flow
ers and ornamental shrubs of exquis-
ite varieties were sold on every street,
and shops displayed their daintiest
wares and toys.
An interesting custom prevails in
preparing the home feast-to provide
a liberal supply of food for the poorer
neighbor. Each house, too, must be
decorated, which is not a difficult task
in this ever-blooming land. Every
house and street was brilliantly illu-
minated for the Inauguration of the
new year; in fact, the entire city, bay
and adjoining country presented a
briliancy that we never saw equaled.
During the morning II Sabbath-like
stiffness prevails while accounts are
being adjusted. Indeed, it has been
said that New Years day is the only
Sabbath of Japan. After that all is
astir; every one in festive garments
and with smiling face exchanging po-
lite greetings.
The Japanese are well trained in the
laws OF good breeding, and, in their
several grades, seldom offend the rules
of etiquette. According to these rules,
one on this day of days. Various
styles of reception cards are carried
through the streets on elegant lac
quered trays by obseqious servants.
1t is the custom of Japanese merchants
to send as gifts to the families OF their
customers beautiful fans and toys OF
exquisite designs.
One of the most popular amusements
of its day in masquerades, in which
parents, children and servants delight
in puzzling one another by personify-
ing various families of rank. Here
there are fathers, with the big and lit
of the top, with which they are very
expert, while groups OF pretty girls and
young women play merrily with
battledore and shuttle-cock. AT one
time we were mystified by sweet, mu-
steal sounds in the air, resembling
those proceeding from an Eolian
harp, and discovered that these came
from great number of kites flying
over the city. Our japanese teacher
and interpreter explained this mys-
terry by showing us strip OF the bam-
boo stretched across the frame OF the
kite.
Banquets are spread in the streets
for the police, and for the benefit of
bnOSt llldt prefer iIllS I0puSt W tilC
more private dinner at home. Buckets,
barrels and porcelain jars are every
where overlooking with new saki,
which everybody drinks, and yet to
the credit OF these peo lie be It said
there is little drunkenness. Far into
the night some religious ceremony is
enacted by the head of each house
hold, and by the priests in their pub
lie temples, which all evil spirits
brooding about on wrong intent are
said to exercise; and thus the day is
ended.
The Japanese are determined to en-
Joy life as they go. All classes may
be seen leaving their homes to go on
short journeys into the country
where, under the rustic shade OF bios
soming fruit trees, or in one of the end,
less tea houses, they may rest, refresh
and enjoy themselves. We often Oh
served family groups visiting the sub
urbs, or temples, or statues ON some
high hill, with apparently no other
object than to view the landscape un-
der light fall of snow, or to gather
some of natures treasures to adorn
the grottoed wall, or miniature lake in
the bit of garden at home, or to amuse
the children.